3.12.18 Your morning briefing

The information you need to start your day, from PaymentsSource and around the Web:

Google Pay digs deeperNow that Google has merged its Android Pay and Google Wallet apps into Google Pay, it is taking steps to expand the app's capabilities.

A new version of the Google Pay app gets access to the user's phone contacts for P-to-P payments, alongside some lines of code that suggest the app's use for purchasing transit fare, Android Police reports.

Bloomberg News

Applebee's breachApplebee's has suffered a breach that may have impacted customers' credit cards in 15 states.

Fortune reports malware has been spotted on the point of sale systems at 167 locations, exposing an undisclosed number of diners to fraud. The magazine reports the attack may have impacted purchases at RMH-owned Applebee's locations.

RMH told Forbes it discovered the breach on Feb. 13 but did not notify customers until the end of the month. It also did not offer to pay for credit protection for affected customers, according to Forbes.

Seasons of rentRent is one of the harder types payments to automate, and is still done mostly be check. A startup called Keyo is trying to change that by using incentives to encourage use of digital channels on both the tenant and landlord side.

TechCrunch reports Keyo, which is planning a more aggressive rollout after receiving more funding, offers payment to the building's super, tenant or other residents to act as as scouts to show available apartments.

A move for PSD2 The updated Payment Services Directive (PSD2) is drawing attention from technology companies that hope to cash in on the U.K.'s open banking mandate.

Lattice80, an international fintech hub, is relocating its headquarters to London, partly in anticipation of work related to PSD2. Lattice80 will retain an office in its existing Singapore headquarters and will continue with its plans to open new fintech hubs in Seoul and New York.

Bitcoin clarityA U.S. judge recently ruled cryptocurrencies are commodities, providing some clarity in the U.S., while European regs remain slow to emerge.

In Europe, Andrea Enria, the chief executive of the European Banking Authority, argued it would be better if banks and other regulated institutions were prevented from holding or selling cryptocurrencies, rather than regulating digital currency itself, reports the Financial Times.

This follows Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, who urged tighter regulation of cryptocurrencies, calling the current regulatory environment "lax."

From the web

Old Dogs Learn New Tricks in Payments BattleThe Wall Street Journal | Mon Mar 12, 2018 - Now that they’ve gotten their act together, don’t count big banks out of the mobile payments war. The way Americans make purchases and pay friends has changed rapidly over the past few years.

Bitcoin, ethereum, ripple XRP: a guide to cryptocurrenciesThe Times | Sat Mar 10, 2018 - “They are not backed by governments or central banks,” states an advertisement on London’s Tube trains for the cryptocurrency trader Etoro. “Cryptocurrencies are backed by technology and trust.” In other words, if you think that your money is not safe in financial institutions, you can stash it away from their prying eyes.

In the wake of the Equifax data breach, consumers more at riskCNBC | Sat Mar 10, 2018 - When it comes to identity theft, you may be putting yourself at risk without realizing it. "Putting too much personal information out on social media is the most egregious example" of how consumers set themselves up, according to Jeff Faulkner, acting president and CEO of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, or NFCC.

More from PaymentsSource

The Most Influential Women in Payments, 2018 This year, as PaymentsSource honors The Most Influential Women in Payments, a new pattern has emerged. This year's list recognizes the contributions of entrepreneurs who took their ideas directly to market, showcasing new ways of handling business in an industry that is forced to quickly adapt to rapid changes in technology and global culture.